Ranger School Officer, Jim Hathaway, Responds To Rumors About Female Graduates

Maj. Jim Hathaway, who oversees the Army Ranger School, responded to rumors about the first women to graduate from Ranger School on Facebook.

JIM HATHAWAY RESPONDS TO RUMORS ABOUT FEMALE GRADUATES

Hathaway, the No. 2 officer in the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade, who oversees Ranger School, decided to respond to the rumors regarding the first two women to graduate from Ranger School this week.

Despite having already stated that there was no special treatment given to the female participants, critics continue to accuse the Ranger School of doing so, claiming that instructors at the school may have dropped their standards in order to accommodate the women.

Hathaway stated that there will always be those who will claim the women got more credit than they deserve.

This year’s program at the Ranger School was a one-time experiment conducted by the Army in order to determine whether or not they should integrate women into combat roles, and if so, what would be the best way to do so.

The two women graduating from the Ranger School, Capt. Kristen Griest, 26, and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, 25, were the only two women out of 19 that participated in the program to complete the demanding 62-day course. There were also 381 men who participated in the program, only 94 of which completed the program.

Mike Janowski, fellow graduate, supported Hathaway’s response by stating that at one point Haver had helped him complete one of the grueling tasks they were set. “I was skeptical if they could handle it physically. She was the only one to volunteer to take that weight. She took the weight off me and she carried it the last half of that. Heroic. Literally saved me. I probably wouldn’t be sitting here right now if it wasn’t for Shaye.”

“Knowing that you have to uphold that legacy every day, you can’t really have an off day, you can’t be tired. You need to go the extra mile,” Griest stated at a press conference.

“The Ranger instructions are professional non-commissioned Officers and trained the Ranger students the same way they have since 1952. If you believe nothing else, you should have faith in your fellow Rangers to adhere to their beliefs and the Ranger Creed,” Hathaway wrote on Facebook in response to the allegations of their being lenient with the women. He went on to address other rumors, supporting the Ranger School’s integrity.